The third and most frequently cited concern regarding the modern H1N1 vaccine is that it hasn’t been adequately tested and therefore can’t be considered safe. First, it should be noted that drug companies have been developing and administering flu vaccines for decades with very few side effects other then the occasional stuffy nose or mild allergic reaction. The H1N1 vaccine is made by the same manufacturers, employing the same methods they use to make flu shots and nasal sprays every year.

Second, the National Institute of Health has been conducting clinical trials of the vaccine since July, and early data indicate that the vaccine is well tolerated. Additionally, at least 44,000 people have already been vaccinated in China with reports of only 14 adverse cases — and it’s not certain that those adverse outcomes are even linked to the vaccine.

What is certain is that deaths from H1N1 infection are on the rise. According to the CDC, almost all diagnosed influenza cases in the US so far this year are from H1N1. So far, more than 40,000 confirmed and probable cases have been identified, 5,011 people have been hospitalized, and 302 people have died. The flu has become so widespread that the CDC has stopped counting individual cases.